It seems that every season about this time, the issue of veteran defenceman Tomas Kaberle and the no-trade clause in his contract comes to the forefront of any talk related to the Leafs making a big move.

And with the trade deadline looming, the question was once again raised on Tuesday morning after the Leafs skated in preparation for their game at the Air Canada Centre against the Florida Panthers.

Kaberle, the longest-serving Leaf and probably Toronto’s most-valuable asset when it comes to swinging a deal with another team, was asked if he would be open to waiving his no-trade clause, and it seemed as if he might be willing to if the conditions were right.

“If something comes up we can talk. That’s what my agent is for. I just worry about the hockey games,” Kaberle said. “I haven’t heard anything about that yet. Every year is the same, there’s going to be lots of talk, especially toward the end (of the deadline).”

Toronto has fielded offers on the puck-moving defenceman in the past, but none came up that general manager Brian Burke felt was worth pulling the trigger on. But with the 32-year-old defenceman’s contract expiring at the end of this season, it’s now or never for the Leafs if they want to get anything significant in return for Kaberle.

Kaberle currently leads all other Leafs defencemen by a wide margin with 30 points, 28 of them helpers. He is a minus-6 and has 12 penalty minutes.